Six Firozabad policemen suspended after pregnant woman's death; SP stages sit-in

Six police personnel in Firozabad have been suspended with immediate effect in connection with the death of a pregnant woman in the Shikohabad area, officials said.

Superintendent of Police Aditya Langhe ordered the suspension of Sub-Inspectors Dharmpal Singh and Satyapal Singh, Head Constables Mohan Singh and Arvind Kumar, and Constables Bhavtosh Kumar and Kuldeep Kumar on Monday for negligence, Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The action followed the death of Anjali, 28, a Dalit woman from Labhaua village. According to her family, Sub-Inspector Dharmpal Singh reached their home with a police team around 11.45 p.m. on Sunday to arrest her husband, Gaurav, in a theft case. The family alleged that when Anjali pleaded with the police not to take her husband away, the officer kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to fall.

Gaurav, 32, was arrested, and Anjali's condition worsened. She was admitted to a hospital in Shikohabad, where she gave birth to a boy on Monday morning. The newborn was referred to Agra in a critical condition, the family said.

After the delivery, her condition deteriorated further and she was taken to a private hospital in Firozabad, where doctors declared her dead. Her relatives said Gaurav was released after the police learnt of her death.

The post-mortem examination was conducted late at night and the last rites were performed the same night, with a large police force deployed during the proceedings, Mr. Prasad said.

Villagers staged a protest at the police station after her death, family members said.

The matter took a political turn on Tuesday when Samajwadi Party national general secretary Ramjilal Suman staged a sit-in at the Shikohabad police station along with party workers, demanding that a murder case be registered against the policemen involved.

"We met the police officials and demanded that a case of murder be registered against the accused policemen in connection with the death of a Dalit woman named Anjali. The police have sought three days' time," Mr. Suman said.

Earlier, an SP delegation accompanied by Mr. Suman visited Labhaua village and met the family to express condolences and gather details about the incident.